Don't Walk Away
by RattusLabRat
Summary: Basically, Grissom realises that he wants a relationship with Sara. But Sara doesn't know what to do with the information Grissom gives her. Lot's of romance and angst.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story apart from my victim and attackers. I write for pleasure only, i make no money from writing these things.**

**Chapter One**

"You know...this could be classed as sexual harrassment."

Grissom rolled his blue eyes and continued to hug Sara.

"You and i both know that this is nothing more than a little re-inactment..."

"Oh really I can't remember agreeing to you....hugging me."

Grissom shook his head.

It had happened while he was the evidence room, Sara had been in the room while he had been going over some evidence, a thought had suddenly struck him and Sara was the closest thing to the victim, height and weight wise. So, grudgingly Sara had agreed to play a pawn in his experiment, as he had been going over some actions he had snuck his arms around her waist and had pulled her against him. Her shocked expression said it all. And here they were, arguing over sexual harrassment.

"Right, Joan Orland had been pulled by the waist as i already did and crushed like this."

He continued to hug Sara, the hug turning into a bear hug which left Sara breathless.

"Griss....wanna stop...hugging....so hard?"

He let Sara go and looked into her eyes.

"Did i hurt you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just don't bear hug so hard buddy, you don't know your own strength."

Grissom blushed at the statement.

"Right, as i explained Joan was pulled to Simpson, he bear hugged Joan, lifted her off the ground like so-"

Grissom lifted Sara off the ground and moved her across the evidence lab. Putting her down he then took a hold of her wrists.

"-moved her into the alley, pinned her to the wall-"

He moved closer to Sara so their bodies were touching, his lips so close to hers.

Please kiss me, please kiss me.

"-and...raped her." He said in a breathless whisper.

Sara looked into his blue eyes, she licked her lips and shook her head.

"Doesn't explain why Joan Orland had grass stains on her though. They were in an alleyway, no grass there. All brick."

Stepping back he took his glasses off and rubbed his forehead.

"Well...Joan wasn't near grass, Simpson didn't have grass on him for contamination to occur. Where did the grass stains come from then?"

Sara looked at the floor thinking as to why the victim has grass stains on her. Looking up she studied Grissom's profile. His face held a light tan, his blue eyes shone in the lit room. His dark beard made him look older yes, but hell he was sexy with it. The fact was, she was in love with him and everything about him. Her obvious advances towards him hadn't broke him, he turned down her invitation. What was with that? A simple invitation and he had turned her down straight, which led Sara feeling a little upset. But what was that old saying? If at first you don't succeed try and try again. Well Sara had kept on trying, it hadn't got her anywhere, but this little experiment made her feel like there was still hope for something to happen. His hands felt so warm on her waist, she didn't want him to let go, she was just getting comfortable. But knowing Grissom after this experiment he would closeup again, then it would be back to the solo cases and the avoiding each other. She knew for a fact she couldn't go back to that again, it would break her.

"You know i'm wondering if Joan was dragged, it's seems the obvious answer."

"Sara, sometimes the obvious answers aren't the right answers. The grass stains were on her upper arms, not on her legs therefor ruling out dragging."

Sara's eyebrows knitted together. He was so stubborn at times. Shrugging her shoulders she looked back at Grissom.

"God, can anyone push you to an easy answer once in a while? Thats all we get from you Griss these-"

Holding up his hand he motioned for Sara to stop talking.

"Push...what if he pushed her down, she landed on her arms. Thats how she got the grass stains on her, Simpson then lay on top of her to stop struggling then raped her. This whole scenario we have is wrong."

Sara nodded.

"Seems plausible, but Simpson said he raped her in the alley."

"To cover his tracks, i think we should have another word with him.

Martin Simpson was a rather tall man. His short black hair was tousled as if he hadn't brushed it in a few days, stubble had started to form on his face from lack of shaving. His green eyes stared at Sara as she and Grissom sat down in the interegation room.

He looked her up and down and softly smiled. Rubbing his stubbled chin he turned to Grissom and raised a confused eyebrow at him.

"So what have i done now Guv'? Ain't nothing i ain't gone over with you two."

Grissom looked at Simpson and cleared his throat.

"You said that you raped Joan Orland in an alley way behind the Bucking Bronco."

Simpson nooded.

"I did...what she been sayin?"

"Joan Orland hasn't uttered a word in 4 days Mr Simpson. She's in intensive care. You nearly killed her."

"Was only some rough and tumble, good lookin. Ain't done nothin to the lass for her to be in intensive care"

Sara glared at Simpson and continued.

"You brutally raped her, beat her and left her for dead Mr Simpson, thats not just some rough and tumble."

Simpson shrugged his shoulders and turned to Grissom.

"She consented, i already told you two. I ain't done nothin illegal, i didn't beat her either. We had a bit of the in out in out and i left her in the alley."

Grissom took out several photos of Joan Orlands clothes and laid them over the interogation table. Simpson gave them a quick glance and leaned back in his chair.

"Whats this i'm lookin at? A fashion parade?"

Grissom folded his hands together.

"These are pictures of the clothing Joan Orland was wearing the night you raped her-"

Simpson stood up and thumped the table with one of his cuffed hands.

"I already told you! I didn't rape her, she consented. She was gaggin for it...."

"As you can see with these pictures, her trousers are un touched, but as you look at the top she was wearing, if you look here-"

Grissom pointed at a dark green spot on the sleeve on Joan Orlands jumper.

"-you'll see that there's a green smudge or mark on the sleeve. It's a grass stain Mr Simpson."

Simpson looked at Sara then back at Grissom to gauge an expression, they both had faces of stone. He rubbed his stubbled chin and sighed. Looking at the picture he could clearly see a grass stain.

"What you showin me grass stains for, i ain't an expert on stains but i'm sure some stain devil u'll take that out fine."

Sara looked at Grissom for the go ahead, he nodded.

"The grass stain you see on Joan Orlands sleeve was due to the fact that you pushed her down on grass and brutally raped her, beat her and left her for dead."

Grissom continued.

"What we want to know is where you raped her Mr Simpson.

Simpson looked at his lawyer, he shook his head, Simpson then sighed and sat up.

"Me and a few mates...we seen the young lass walking on the field by herself...you know we only wanted to whistle a bit make her feel attractive. Some of our kids, well got it into their heads that they were gonna have some of this nice looking fluff."

"Kids?"

"Yeh kids, you know....mates."

Grissom raised his eyebrow for him to continue.

"We 'ad been drinkin, and she was walkin towards us ...we grabbed her, she started screamin so my mate Sam...he gave her a thump, just to shut her up."

"Sam?"

"Yeh, Sam Reynolds. He works with me at the cattle ranch. After that things got serious, We were all takin turns with her, someone musta shoved her to the ground. After we took what we wanted we took her to the alley way behind the Bucking Bronco and left her there. We knew somebudy i'd find her."

Brass cut in.

"We need the names of your 'kids'."

Grissom sat in his office watching his tarantula gradually begin to move. Both Sara and him had solved the case. Brass had brought in Martin Simpson's friends, they all admitted to raping Joan Orland. Brass was smiling as he carted them away.

Grissom's mind kept coming back to Sara. Being supervisor wasn't easy, ara wasn't making things any easier with her attraction to him. He might of considered her dinnr invitation if he hadn't had an appointment with his doctor for his ears. She had looked so hurt when he had said no. He knew time was running out for him, she had been with that pratt Hank, although that didn't work out it had hurt him knowing that she had a life that didn't include him in it. Also the fact that she had called him baby at a crime scene. He had almost tore Gregs head off when he heard him chatting away to Nick about it.

But what had he done, he had slept with Lady Heather, while she was part of an on going investigation. That had been a terrible mistake, the rumour had been around the lab for weeks. He regretted that decision he had made, but now all he wanted was Sara and him to be back on friendly terms. He hated walking around the lab as if he'd lost his right leg when she wasn't with him. He wanted things back to the way they were when she first came to the lab.

"This is your last chance Gil." He whispered as he laid his head on his desk.


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Like before i own nothing.**

**Chapter Two**

Nick, Sara and Greg were sitting in the break room chatting about random things that came up in conversation. Nick was sipping his coffee as he listened to Sara and Greg's conversation.

" My Uncle's wife has breast cancer, this will be her third time. It's unbelievable."

"It can take only one infected cell for the woman to contract it again."

Greg nodded.

"Yup, seemingly they are saying that deodrant is causing breast cancer, most of the population of people infected with breast cancer have it in their left breast. It's something to do with them being right handed and spraying more deodrant on the left side than the right side."

Sara sighed and sipped her coffee. Nick piped in.

"It's as if you can't stand next to a window for too long or you'll contract cancer, the scientists are blaming everything nowadays."

"What do they expect people to do, not use deodrant and walk around smelling of B.O.?"

"You mean people walking around smelling like _Ecklie_, Greg."

All three of them laughed at Sara's comment. Nick decided to change the topic.

"How's your rape case going with Grissom?"

Sara put her coffee down and looked at Nick.

"We cracked it, Simpson and some of his buddies decided they wanted some of Joan Orland. Fun gone too far. I hate these cases where innocent people get hurt because of selfish bastards like Simpson and his gang."

Nick nodded.

"We all feel like that Sara. Thats why we do our job and put these guys away."

Oh she knew the others felt it too, but somehow her hold on the victims was much stonger. She related to these victims. Nobody understood that. They all thought she was rather sensitive in the rape and abusive cases, but it was much more. Sipping her coffee she thought about Grissom. Things had been geeting better then worse, it seemed as if they played this game repeating themselves.

"One step forward, two steps back."

Nick and Greg both looked at Sara.

"What was that Sidle?"

Sara looked up and broke from her reverie. _Did she say that out loud?_

"I...nothing i was just thinking, you know..?"

Both nodding, they continued to stare at Sara.

"What? I was thinking."

"Wow another human soup. Just great!"

Sara had been assigned with Grissom once again for another case. A young teenager had been reported missing two weeks ago and the liquid remains which settled at their feet belonged to that teenager.

"You know, it never surprises me when cases like these come in. Seems i'm always the one with the short straw."

Grissom looked up from is evidence collection and raised an amused eyebrow.

"Your hardly going near him Sara. I'm the one thats going to smell, so quit moaning."

Sara scanned the area, human soup, human soups belongings, human soups shoes and what was that? She moved closer to the body warily. The liquidised body fat was very slippery and she didn't want to fall on her ass in it. Creeping towards the body Grissom looked at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You found something?"

Sara didn't asnwer him as she prowled her way to the body. Getting closer she slipped on a bit of body fat and nearly lost her balance. Collecting herself she bent down next to the body and took her tweezers out. Carefully plucking something blue from the remains of the teenager she held it up to the sky.

"Damnit, he stinks!"

Grissom walked over to her and looked at the blue thing caught in her metal tweezers.

"A fibre?"

Shaking her head she held it to the light to get a closer look. It was round and shiny, she didn't think the body fat had anything to do with the shinyness.

"Plastic maybe? I'll get this sent off to trace."

Grissom nodded and smiled.

"What bother's you more, saliva or decomps?"

Sara pursed her lips and looked at the human soup.

"Definatly saliva."

Grissom sat in his office staring at the clock on his wall. 15 minutes before shift ended. If he wanted to do this he had to do it now, although he still had to win the internal battle he was having with himself.

_She's your co-worker._

_She's a friend._

_She's younger than you._

_Age doesn't matter._

_What happens when she gets bored of you and she moves onto the next guy?_

_Sara wouldn't do that. She's not like that._

_She dated that punk Hank._

_He meant nothing_.

Shaking himself from the internal battle he got up out of his chair and went in search of Sara. He found her rather quickly, she was in the break room reading a forensic magazine. Magazine in one hand, sandwich in the other.

"Hungry?"

Sara looked up and finished chewing what she had in her mouth.

"I have to eat like everyone else you know."

Grissom raised his eyebrow.

"Always the reader...what article you reading?"

Sara put her sandwich down and stared at Grissom, he himself stared at her back expecting an answer to his question. Shrugging her shoulders Sara put the magazine down.

"I was just skimming through it."

"Oh."

Sara threw the rest of her sandwich and the packaging in the bin and wiped her mouth. Opening the fridge she pulled out a bottle of water and took a sip of it. Grissom watching her every move.

"Did you need me for something?"

_God, if only you knew._

"That blue plastic you sent off to trace. It's actually a part off a flashlight."

Sara nodded while sipping her water.

Clearing his throat he continued. "I see you have tonight off."

"Yeh, hopefully i'll get called in. I can't stand these nights off."

Grissom looked at the ground and shuffled his feet in a nervous gesture.

"Hopefully you won't get called in. It'd ruin our evening."

Sara looked at Grissom as if he'd grown another head, her jaw open to the world for the flies to wander in. She was dazed. "Huh?"

"We both have tonight off, i was wondering if you'd....like to go out...with me. For something to eat."

"Go out?"

Grissom nodded.

"With you?"

He nodded again.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

Shaking her head of the cobwebs, she closed her mouth and took a drink of the water she had opened. Her mouth was dry from the shock and absurdity of the situation.

Right, he didn't want to go out with her a few weeks ago when she had asked him out. Yet he thought she would agree to go out with him, after him turning her down. No way buddy.

"No."

Grissom frowned.

_"No?"_

Sara stared at him.

"Why not? I..."

"I don't know what to do...about this."

Sara gesturing the same as Grissom had done a few weeks back.

What had he done? Did he think just after a few weeks she'd be willing to go out with him after him declining her dinner invitation? He had been such a fool, and now she knew he had feelings for her and he wanted to do something about it. She had turned him down to get her own back but he could still feel the pang of pain at his heart from rejection. He tried to breath evenly, but he couldn't. He wanted to work this out between them, he wanted to try but obviously it was too late.

Sara broke his concentration.

"Hurts doesn't it."

Grissom looked her in the eye.

"Rejection. It hurts. Knowing that there's something strong between two people. You try to work things out. Rejection is a painful thing."

Grissom flinched at her words. It was true. He was such a fool to think she'd forget about his simple No.

"I....didn't mean to hurt you intentionally."

Sara huffed a laugh and blew out a dragon breath.

"Grissom, you never do. It's just you. You can't help it, your just socially inept. I know how your feeling at the moment, i went through it when you turned down my invitation. What makes you think i'm going to stop everything at once to have dinner with you? Things don't work like that Grissom. I'm still hurting, and frankly it's gonna take time for me to heal."

Sara took one last look at Grissom before she left the breakroom. She knew it wasn't a wise decision she had made but she had wanted him to feel the pain she had been feeling for weeks now. Love was a horrible thing.


	3. Chapter Three

Grissom sat in his town house contemplating on the day. Rejection did hurt. Damn it, it bloody hurt. Grissom felt as if his heart had broken in two. Sara had one half and he had the other. He had been stupid yes, he knew that. There had always been something special between them, ever since Harvard. Sara had given him a glimpse a few weeks back and he had hid in his shell once again. He wasn't one to get drunk, but right now he needed something to dull his senses. He couldn't keep thinking about the whole situation between Sara and himself. Rising up from his sofa he went to the fridge to get himself a bottle of beer, opening the bottle he took a swig of the contents and gave a soft sigh.

Everything came down to his relationship with Sara, well lack of it. He wanted to do something about it, he had needed time to think things over and adjust to the fact that he couldn't hide forever and deny that there was something between him and Sara. It had been the easy way out. Looking back he had been a fool, he could quote Oscar Wilde, he could solve the hardest of puzzles, yet he became a blubbering fool when it came to Sara. Why was life hard on him, why couldn't it be as easy as asigning someone to a case? Shaking his head he took another swig of his beer.

A ringing noise interupted his thoughts. It was his phone. Someone was phoning him.

Slowly he got up and went in search of his phone, finding it he lifted the receiver and put it to his ear. Clearing his throat.

"Grissom."

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello, anyone there?"

"Gris it's Sara."

Suddenly he lost his voice. What did Sara want? Did she want to give him another verbal lashing? The first one still stung.

"Grissom?"

"Uh..I'm still here."

"I need to apologise. What I said back at the lab, well I was out of order. I'm just...I'm still hurting and when you asked me out to dinner I....well...it pissed me off."

"I understand."

Damnit he could hear the edge in his voice.

"Your not happy, i can hear it in your voice."

"What do you expect Sara? I tried being a better friend and it got me into a hell of a lot of trouble. I don't know what you expect of me."

There was silence on Sara's end. Had he been too harsh? He just wanted her to understand that he didn't know what she wanted from him, he needed to know himself before he could give it to her.

"Maybe your right Sara. Maybe it's too late...."

Grissom sighed when he heard the dial tone on the other end. She'd hung up.

Two hours after their phone conversation, Grissom's door bell rang. He opened it to reveal a cold and exausted looking Sara.

"Sara?"

She cleared her throat and blinked several times.

"Can i come in?"

Stepping back from his door he let Sara enter, she was dragging herself inside.

Taking a quick look around she noticed that not much had changed since her first and only visit to Grissom's Town House. The walls were still covered in his beautiful butterfly collection, his sofa remained where it sat on her first visit, it didn't feel homely but she knew Grissom liked to spend time in it.

Turning around she noticed Grissom was looking at her, with a raised eyebrow he ushered her to his sofa. Sitting down himself he turned towards her.

"Why?"

Grissom's brows knitted together in confusion.

"Why what?"

"Why do we still persist on playing this stupid game?"

Sara knew that look, it was Grissom trying to face facts.

"Oh don't give me your 'confused' look, you know what I'm talking about."

"Sara...when did you start hating me?"

Taken aback by his question she sat with her mouth open, trying to think of a reasonable answer.

"Thats what you think? That i hate you. Oh Gris, you couldn't be more wrong."

"So why this?" He gestured his question with an open palmed shrug.

"When I first came here, to Vegas...I came because you asked me to, you said you needed my help. I was on that plane to Vegas straight away. Things were OK for the better part Gris...until something changed and I dunno what changed, maybe i did...."

Sara looked at Grissom and continued.

"There wasn't any chalk that night I touched your cheek. I was trying to comfort you, the time I asked you out to dinner, it wasn't because Hank had....I asked you to dinner because I wanted to spend time with you. I'd been plucking up the courage to ask you since i came here."

"What, your blaming this whole thing on me? You're not the innocent party in all of this. You flirt with every guy in the lab. How am i meant to feel?"

Sara got up and started to pace the floor of Grissom's Town House.

"Yeh Grissom, harmless flirting. Saying that...I don't think I've slept with someone who was involved in a case."

Grissom's heart sank. Why did she have to bring Lady Heather up, while they were in the middle of a serious heated argument. Was there anything she didn't know? Everyone at the lab probably knew he had been going deaf. He hadn't wanted to keep it secret, Sara was the first person he had wanted to tell but Catherine had figured it out. Catherine was his friend Sara was.....special.

"We all make mistakes in life Sara. We learn from them and hopefully don't make any more that might relate to them. I can see why you're angry."

Sara sat down, here eyes had softened.

"I just want things back they way they were before 'this' happened." Sara gestured to both of them with a quick flick of her hand.

"We both do."

Grissom moved closer to Sara, he wanted to comfort her, to let her know he was there for her. He needed to be the friend she knew years ago. He reached over to her and took her hand, pulling her into an akward yet satisfying hug. Things might be that bit better from now on....


End file.
